title: TYMS serves as a prognostic indicator to predict the lymph node metastasis in Chinese patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current study is to evaluate the effect of thymidylate synthase (TYMS) on lymph node metastasis (LNM) in Chinese colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, and develop potential LNM-associated biomarkers for CRC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Differences in TYMS gene expression between primary CRC with LNM (LNM CRC) and without LNM (non-LNM CRC) were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR analysis in 100 Chinese colorectal cancer patients. The relationship between clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of candidate biomarkers was also examined in the experiment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TYMS was significantly upregulated in LNM CRC compared with non-LNM CRC, which was confirmed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Overexpression of TYMS was significantly associated with LNM (P<0.001), advanced TNM stage (P<0.001), increased 5-year recurrence rate (P<0.001) and decreased 5-year overall survival rate (P<0.001). Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that TYMS expression was an independent prognostic factor for recurrence and survival of CRC patients (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TYMS effect on lymph node metastasis in CRC might serve as a potential biomarker for LNM and a prognostic factor in CRC. Over-expression of TYMS is a predicting factor to the poor outcome in clinical colorectal cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Research Center, Affiliated 2nd Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiang Jiayuan 121, Xiaguan District, Nanjing 210011, PR China.
authors.forename: Yuanfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Changhua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhuo
authors.forename: Bota
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Zhengxia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yuanming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Baolin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase / Q000235:genetics*; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase
keywords: Colorectal cancer; DNA repair; Lymph node metastasis; Prognosis; Quantitative real-time PCR analysis; TYMS